Infusion confusion
I'm actually not confused, but it made a festive subject line... And I know I could just email misn0mer personally, since she is our infusion expert - but thought it might interest some of the fo, so... A friend and I are making infused vodkas for an Inauguration party. She's making beet and rosemary (I had some beet vodka last week, it was amazing) and I'm making ginger, lavender, raspberry, and raspberry mint. I started them all going on Saturday. The lavender got really strong right away, so I strained it out last night and popped it into the freezer. The raspberry and raspberry mint are coming along, starting to smell really nice. The ginger... well, it smells like vodka. I started with a nub or two of sliced fresh ginger, and today grated in some more fresh ginger. It seems to be taking the longest to infuse, which surprised me, since ginger is so aromatic. I guess I don't really have a specific question, and I know I can google for info - but for some reason I decided to wing it on this project and only go on the advice of friends. So.... any advice? Drink recipes to share?

Add some lemon or lime (including peel)
with the ginger. I don't know why this helps ginger but it does. I make tea this way (it's lovely iced too). Methinks you could also probably double the amount of ginger

careful!
I made ginger with many ginger "sticks". I was trying to create something like Yazi, so I added black pepper and cayenne (using an empty teabag) and it got hotter than I wanted, so I added citrus (the white part of the peel can tend to add bitterness) and I ended up having to dump the whole batch as it ended up tasting like dirty sock. What I did to get ginger quick was peel a big hunk o ginger then cut it up as you might to make carrot sticks. More surface area = faster infusion. datagrl grated her ginger with success, but I didn't want to use that method as I find filtering can be a chore, but it is certainly a good option. My lavender also infused really fast for a delecate flavor, I ended up making more, and much stronger to be used as a vanilla replacement when baking (though a touch of vanilla really brings out the lavender). With the ginger vodka, I recommend making yourself a moscow mule. YUM!

hotbuttonissue introduced me to steeping
earl gray bags in vodka - then serving with simple syrup, soda, and lemon. it's a winner - literally, it won best cocktail in seattle a couple of years ago. i would think experimenting with chai, or other bags of tea could have similar pleasing results.

after reading this thead...
...clearly, I'm a weirdo in exactly the right kind of job. I -love- straining things and taking them down to their best essences. Besides, doesn't everyone have a fine chinois and cheesecloth at home? And enjoy using them? Obsessively? :-p Anyway, lavender. Whew. It's strong stuff. I like it, but only in small doses. A little bit goes really far, and just a smidge more will ruin a drink or dish. Unless one's a fan of just chowing down on bars of lavender soap. How about adding chocolate to the lavender vodka? Serve with herbed goat cheese tart. Or just the lavender vodka mixed with pear puree and vanilla? Pounding the ginger in a mortal and pestle will also help with infusion, though you're still left with the task of straining (hmph! philistines!). Second the lime suggestion. And how about rimming the glass with some salt and powdered roasted cumin? Or you could do ginger and blood orange drink with a rim of salt and/or sugar with star anise, powdered fennel seeds, black pepper, or whatever else. Cinnamon too.

Wow, great ideas! Thanks!
Although, for you an "herbed goat cheese tart" must be a trifle. For me it would be... an all-day undertaking! Although the straining holds no special terror for me. I did grate some ginger in today, with my little ginger-stone, and that helped. It smells gingery now... I love the idea of pear puree, I may implement that. Also the blood orange. It will be a large party, and not at my house, so I have to keep the preparations relatively simple. Thanks, CB! PS - I SO owe you an email, I'll get to it soonly.

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